quizzes abt homeschooling 'methods'

[neveryoumindthere]

NAK
are there any out there to steer me in any direction?

right now its just 'do whatever' which for the most part is ok but we are both bored a good chunk of the day

i loove the idea behind letteroftheweek.com and am wndering is that what a unit study looks like?

we are both feeling the need to do more (nothing specific) even if its interesting games/activities etc, not necessarily pencil and paper activities

how did u decide which method works best for your family

[LilyGrace]

This may or may not be what you're looking for, but I found a few learning style assessments online and used that to decide the best paths for my kids.

DS1 - Very hands on, loves to move, learns best in a kinesthetic environment.

DS2 - Orderly, loves structure, learns best when work is presented in a methodical order, will sit and read for hours at a time.

So using that I found curriculum that matched each boy and every time I hear of something new (like the lapbooks I heard about on here- I love that idea!) I figure out if it will fit into our learning plans and their styles.

[*jeanine*]

Check this out:
http://homeschooldiner.com/quiz/clic...omeschool.html

[Lillian J]

I think that you'll have lots of time to kill and get creative with no matter what method you use. If you stop to consider how little time in a schoolroom is spent in learning vs. how much is spent in just structuring things around it, very little time is really spent in "schooling." A child at home will have lots and lots of time to spend in play and hobbies, and it all starts to clearly blend in with learning activities.

Here's a good article on unit studies. The Joy and Ease of Learning Through Child-led Unit Studies.

Here's an article on methods and styles. I think time will show you what works best. Maybe structuring your days so that one afternoon a week is always a library day, one is a park day (with a support group is ideal), one morning is science activities, several times are regular art and craft times, certain times of day are for games... But there will still be lots of time for your child to have to figure out how to handle being bored. You can make a list of things together to post on a wall with ideas of what can be done if you're bored. Have lots and lots of books and games and fun toys around, and arrange lots of play dates with other children, and the boredom factor won't be much of a problem. Lillian

[neveryoumindthere]

THANK YOU for that "unit-studies" article..that is EXACTLY what we are doing!!!
her current 'unit studies'(aka obsessions) are BIG numbers, dress up (she changes *at least* 7 times a day) and dancing *proud mama*

a few months ago it was all about mixing things..she just wanted to mix and mix and mix..so we did that EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. for about a month..we did lots of cooking, lots of nasty gooey "expeereemins" that she did on her own with ingredients from my pantry ..
before that it was puzzles so we got tons of puzzles that she would just finish so quick so every week or so we'd get one with more pieces to challenge her..in fact, yesterday, with little assistance aka 'spending time with mama', she completed a 100 pc puzzle..this time around you can see her little brain working looking at the shape of the piece and the shape of the space..
so awesome.

again, thank u so much..right now this is what we want..I'll just look to give her more opportunities if she's interested.

[Lillian J]

You're most welcome, and I might add that my own child was not a fan of unit studies at all, much to my own teacherly disappointment - so I just gave up on the idea. He simpl enjoyed learning about this 'n that as things came up, and that worked quite well. Lillian